PORTSMOUTH- Portsmouth’s premier festival organization, Friends of Portsmouth, just opened its season with a successful Fourth of July celebration and are moving onto River Days, where they will entertain thousands.

The group is known for hosting large festivals and events, from record-breaking achievements to Winterfest, Glocktoberfest and Festifall to Fourth of July and River Days. The group stays active all year long developing opportunities for downtown Portsmouth and the surrounding region.

River Days has been scheduled for September 1-3 and will feature carnival rides and games, merchants, food trucks and vendors, live music, a parade, the River Days Queen Pageant and more.

“River Days is about community. The parade, pageant; everything is about the community. It brings a lot of people out and visitors to the area,” Friends of Portsmouth Executive Director Bryan Smith said.

The music will feature Wild Son Entertainment at 7 p.m. on Friday; Kentucky Headhunters at 9 p.m. on Friday; Silver Springs, a Fleetwood Mac Tribute Band, at 7 p.m. on Saturday; Starship featuring Mickey Thomas at 9 p.m. on Saturday; Holly Forbes at 6:30 p.m. on Sunday, and Freebirds, a Lynard Skynard Tribute Band, at 8:30 p.m. on Sunday.

“We love our musical acts. We went with a lot of rock this year,” Smith explained. “The Kentucky Headhunters, Friday’s opening, is huge for our area. I always love Wild Son. The Fleetwood Mac tribute band is phenomenal for any Fleetwood Mac fan. Starship will bring a lot of people out, with their big hits. Holly Forbes, of The Voice fame, was in the top ten and is exceptionally talented. Plus, we have the Lynard Skynard tribute band, which everyone will love. I’m excited. I think we have a big lineup. I think it is the biggest lineup we’ve had since we took over.”

All musical acts have been moved from the riverfront to the Municipal Lot on the corner of Washington and 4^th Streets.

“In 2021, when we hosted it at this location, we had great attendance. Parking is closer and it is more accessible. Everything is so spread out on the river, and it is hard to manage,” Smith explained. “The attendance is also lower on the river. We think this is more user friendly. We had great attendance in 2021 and I’m really looking forward to it.”

It takes a lot of people to make the event possible and the Friends of Portsmouth are reaching out to the community to request people to step up and volunteer for the event. Interested volunteers should email a coordinator at [email protected].

“I’m excited for River Days this year. Between the musical acts and amusement rides, I think we are set up for success,” Smith said. “We also have great food lined up, as well as great crafters; the exciting thing is that these vendors are mostly all new, so people are in for something different. The River Days pageant participants are working hard on campaigns and floats and are excited. We are excited for everything as a whole this year.”

To stay updated on events and information related to the organization, follow them on Facebook or visit their website at www.friendsofportsmouth.com To sponsor the event, ask questions, or contact someone at Friends of Portsmouth, email [email protected] or call 740.354.7711.

Reach Joseph Pratt at (740) 353-3101, by email at [email protected], © 2022 Portsmouth Daily Times, all rights reserved